Why do you need a .22lr pistol or rifle?

Cuz why not?

Cost-effective is the name of the game with .22lr being one of the cheapest ammos you can find.

But is it actually beneficial?

I think it a logical fallacy to say that shooting a small caliber won't be of benefit, however, that isn't to say there aren't downsides. Let’s dive into the pros and cons .

How it helps?

First things first obviously price, you can shoot .22lr ALL DAY without really giving it a second thought. Often times people will get conversion kits or build an identical rifle that shoots .22lr so that they can get as much time on the controls as possible.

It’s a pretty versatile cartridge besides defense reasons, we won't dive down that rabbit hole but for the sake of this discussion, if you are carrying a .22lr... maybe skip buying a rifle for fun and upgrade your carry.

Back on topic, it's quiet, decent at vermin dispatching, fantastic for plinking, and last but certainly not least... skill development and this is where most people get their undergarments in a bunch.

The supposed downsides

TRAINING SCARS. “Lord have mercy if you train with .22lr because the minute you put your 9mm in your hands it'll FLY out of them because you're used to shooting .22lr.”

This is obviously an exaggeration but there are some who believe this, if you practice with a smaller caliber than you carry you will not be as prepared to use your carry.

Let’s flip this around let's say you practiced EXPLICITLY with 9MM, does this mean that if you make the change to a larger caliber like 10mm, .357 magnum, .44 magnum even? Was all your practice with 9MM in vain? NO! It's obvious the more time someone has in a field the more experienced they will be.

Lets say you're still worried "Oh man what if my wrists become used to the little recoil and I completely flounder when I shoot my real carry gun?". Well, nothing is black and white, we aren't advocating for you to give up shooting 1 caliber entirely because another is cheaper. Supplementation is the answer here, shoot your carry 10-20% of the time and push 80% of your training to the cost-saving round, if you need to.

Think for yourself!

Don't let those on the internet steal your critical thinking ability.

This topic has been around for quite some time. .38 special came out around the year 1900 and .357 magnum around 1930, people have been opting for using .38 special in their .357 magnum revolvers to keep training and save a dime.

As always keep training and becoming an asset.

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